Nice high-level intro to the historical basis pointing to Daniel being a late (Maccabean) forgery.

“It is generally accepted that Daniel originated as a collection of Aramaic court tales later expanded by the Hebrew authors. It is one of a large number of Jewish apocalypses, all of them pseudonymous.

The stories of the first half are legendary in origin, and the visions of the second the product of anonymous authors in the Maccabean period (2nd century BC).

It is possible that the name of Daniel was chosen for the hero of the book because of his reputation as a wise seer in Hebrew tradition.”